The invention set forth in this specification pertains to new and improved suspended ceilings.
At the present time, it is common place to utilize suspended ceiling structures which include a grid of inverted T-shaped bars located so as to be joined together to define a plurality of openings located immediately adjacent to one another in a rectilinear pattern. The T-bars used in such a ceiling structure are normally of an identical construction. Each of them normally includes a cross bar more or less corresponding to the head on the letter T, which as used in a suspended ceiling, provides a single lower surface and two upper surfaces separated by a base member reasonably corresponding to the vertical upright in the conventional letter T. In such a ceiling, the base member extends upwardly from between the two upper surfaces present. In such a ceiling, the upper surfaces on these T-bars are located at the adjacent edges of the openings defined by the bars.
In this type of suspended ceiling structure many of the openings are normally closed off by means of panels or so-called tiles. Each of these panels is normally shaped so as to be capable of resting on the upper surfaces surrounding an opening in order to close off the opening. Other of the openings in such a ceiling are normally closed off by illumination fixtures which are also shaped so as to be capable of resting against the upper surfaces of the T-bars surrounding such openings. Still further openings in such a ceiling may be used for other purposes such as, for example, in accommodating various vents used for air conditioning or heating purposes. Such vents may or may not be constructed so as to be supported by the T-bars surrounding openings in the manner in which panels and illumination fixtures are normally supported in the type of ceiling structure described.
While ceiling structures as indicated in the preceding paragraphs are very desirable and utilitarian, they are not always acceptable to many designers and decorators. Such individuals feel that in many cases the appearances of rooms can be improved by covering the T-bars used in the ceiling structure. To this end, various panels or tiles have been developed which are shaped so as to include peripheral grooves or similar or related structures located around portions of T-bars so as to suspend such panels or tiles so that the lower surfaces of such panels or tiles are beneath the T-bars and obscure the lower surfaces of such T-bars.
Unfortunately, panels or tiles of this type only obscure portions of the lower surfaces of the T-bars at any particular one spot or location. As a result of this, the lower surfaces of the T-bars surrounding a particular opening enclosed by an illumination fixture will be visible in the absence of some specialized structure obscuring the part of the lower surface of the T-bar immediately surrounding a supported illumination fixture.
A problem has been encountered in obscuring such portions of the lower surfaces of T-bar ceilings immediately surrounding openings covered by illumination fixtures. This is the problem of how to construct an appropriate frame for this purpose in such a manner that the means for suspending the frame are not readily visible and in such a manner that the frame may be easily and conveniently installed or demounted as required.